The Annapurna Circuit is the most popular trekking route in the great Himalayas.

The circuit consists of various attractions – the highest pass, sacred shrines for both the Hindu and Buddhist followers, high glacial basin, Tilicho, world’s highest glacial lake and Annapurna sanctuary that homes some of the rarest species on earth. It has several different routes within the area that offer varieties of starting points and final destinations as per your liking.

Outline Itinerary

Day-01: Drive west to Bensisahar 9 hours by bus.

Day-02: Bensisahar – Ngadi/Bahundanda (1311m) - 6½ hours.

Day-03: Ngadi/Bahundanda – Jagat/Chamje (1433m) - 6½ hours.

Day-04: Jagat/Chamje - Dharapani (1943m) - 6 hours.

Day-05: Dharapani - Chame (2713m) - 6½ hours.

Day-06: Chame - Pisang (3292m)- 5 hours.

Day-07: Pisang - Manang (3351m) - 4 hours.

Day-08: Rest in Manang, visit Monastery, Khangsar village & acclimatization for high altitude.

Detail Itinerary

Day-01: Drive west to Bensisahar 9 hours by bus.

Nepal's well-constructed wide and commercial road from Kathmandu to Pokhara Bensisahar offers you the beautiful and spectacular views of River Valley, Terrace Farming, the countryside villages, Sylvan Beauty of nature with the silver Mountains on the top.

The Bus stops several posts to get check-in. Sitting inside the bus, you have views of Trisuli and Marshyangdi River Gorges where you may see people enjoying their Rafting. The Bus stop somewhere for the readymade Daal Bhat. But western Foods Restaurants are also available on the highway.

Day-02: Bensisahar – Ngadi/Bahundanda (1311m) - 6½ hours.

Most of the trail today is fairly flat, until after the village of Besi Sahar, when the trail narrows and the valley becomes a deep river gorge. We cross a long suspension bridge and enter the largest trading village of Khuldi (2592 ft ) inhabited by the Gurungs. The trail continues northwards up the valley, crossing several suspension bridges and passing several beautiful waterfalls. Above us tower the peaks of Lamjung (22,291ft). The village Bahundanda (4000 ft) supports the last shops of any size before Jomsom.

Day-03: Ngadi/Bahundanda – Jagat/Chamje (1433m) - 6½ hours.

Today, we descend to the Marshyangdi to access the river level before deciding our route. Its water level is low, we can cross on a makeshift bridge to the east bank.

If not, we continue on the west bank climbing high over a ridge, to rejoin the east bank trail over a suspension bridge at Sange. We then climb high again, through rhododendron and pine forest. The valley is now very deep and steep gorge.

Day-04: Jagat/Chamje - Dharapani (1943m) - 6 hours.

We climb steadily all day long Tal, a small village at the foot of a large waterfall. We are now entering the Manang district. After leaving Tal, we cross a large bridge to the village of Dharapani (6103 ft ) where our trekking permits are checked.

Day-05: Dharapani - Chame (2713m) - 6½ hours.

Today We climb through forest to Bagarchap (7120 ft ) which was the first village on the trek with typical Tibetan architecture and now washed away by Landslide in 1994.The trail is now bearing west, Manaslu forming a splendid backdrop and Annapurna II (26040 ft ) appearing occasionally to the south. We continue through forests of pine and fir, resting at the hamlets or Charku, Thangje and Kuparkot. As we continue on the same (8859 ft), views of the Annapurna improve dramatically.

Day-06: Chame - Pisang (3292m)- 5 hours.

We continue crossing the river all day, passing through the narrow and steep sided gorge nearing the village of Pisang (10400 ft). We top a ridge to get our first views of the Manang valley, a wide N - shaped valley hanging between two lines of snow peaks.

Day-07: Pisang - Manang (3351m) - 4 hours.

From today you are getting the wind in Tran Himalayan Valley according to its character after 10 or 11 AM in the morning until 4 or 5 PM. Descending to the broad forested valley floor, we follow the trail through the flat valley, past a small STOL Hongdae airstrip, under construction, cross the river once again to Braga (11287 ft). This is a village of about 290 houses stacked on top of each other, flat roofs forming verandahs seems caves on the body of mountain standing with it's the beauty of Tibetan settlement, We spend visiting Braga Monastery. The largest in the district, it has an outstanding display of statues, thanka paintings, and manuscripts and cross several Buddhist shrines and arrive at miniurbanized Manang.

But you may have chances to divide the trails in order to visit the old and traditional villages like Ngawal and Ghyaru, which offer you the primitive cultures of Manganese origin.

The Manang: Manang has acquired a reputation as a cosmopolitan center of some sophistication. As you would expect from a town which has given its name to the region it is larger than the surrounding villages, claiming a population of around 5,500.

Manang and Braga do have more 'German' restaurants with German Bakery. Meat is served in Manang, including 'yak burger'. There is an imposing range of food on the menus. This is the main evidence of the cosmopolitan lifestyle of the Manang Bhot. If you look on the walls of some of the lodges, you will see photographs of the proprietors in such places as Singapore, Bangkok, and Delhi. They certainly travel around.

The hotels are all well equipped with bathing facilities of various sorts, but there is so much dust in Manang that the minute you emerge from washing yourself, the dust clings to your still damp skin. Washing oneself is still something of a novelty in these parts.

Day-08: Rest in Manang, visit Monastery, Khangsar village & acclimatization for high altitude.

we spend the whole day exploring Manang. The village consists of about 500 flat-roofed houses and is picturesquely set amongst spectacular scenery: Annapurna II, Annapurna III, (24787 ft), Gangapurna (24,457 ft) to the south: Tilicho (23,400 ft) and the Grand Barrier, to the west ; Chulu west (21,599 ft ) and Chulu East (19,880 ft ) to north. There are lots of chances to visit the old Tibetan shelters Braga, Milarepa Cave, Gangapurna the isolated lake and other viewpoints.

Day-09: Manang - Yak Kharka/ Lather (4000m) - 5 hours.

We branch away from the Marshyangdi river steadily climbing into district alpine areas. keep your eyes open for Thar and Ghoral mountain sheep. Crossing the Jarsang River, we climb to a small grassy valley

Though the crossing of the pass is not technically difficult, we take it slowly to take into account the complications of altitude and possible snow. After about 4 hours, we reach the top (17,771 ft) and enjoy some absolutely stunning high Himalayas scenery.

The entire Annapurna range in the south, the Mukut and Mustang Himal to the west, and the incredibly deep Kali Gandaki valley and the peaks of Throungtse(21,268 ft) and Chulu to the north. The descent is steep and rough but we soon have excellent views of Dhaulagiri (26,795 ft).

Muktinath is an important pilgrimage spot for both Hindus and Buddhist Gompa and pagoda style temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The most interesting aspect of the area, however, is the spot where burning of natural gas issued from the rock from the same place as a small spring. Earth, fire and water-an important religious combination.

Day-12: Muktinath - Kagbeni (2800m) 4 hours down and spend night.

This town is the gateway to Upper Mustang and Tibet also religiously is very important to see and visit for a while as your experiences of Tibet culture also very important landscapes. It is very Holly land for the Tourists and we can spend as much as time for your town visit and explore.

Day-13: Kagbeni - Jomsom (2726m) - 4 hours.

This is headquartering of Mustang district and it is the best town to spend a day to see wonderful side trips. You can have the airstrip to reach several tourists by flights in this region and gateway to upper Mustang. Kaligandi River makes more enjoyable sounds and several local museums of the local ethnicities with religions and cultures.

Day-14: Jomsom – Tatopani Local Bus/Jeep drive.

It takes about 5/6 hours drive to Tatopani(natural Hot spring) and spends a night. This is a very special place to have overnight to feel and experiences of natural bath and enjoy to get fresh after several days trek. It is relaxing natural hot bath with beers or drinks for your body adjustment.

Day-15: Tatopani – Ghorepani takes 6 hours hike.

It is whole days climbing and have to climb almost over 1200 meters from the River. Wonderful days to see locals settlement with cultivated lands and views of the Dhaulagiri Mountain again. Ghorepani is the blue roofing town specially and has more crowd to see next day’s Poon Hill trip from Pokhara.

Day-16: Early in the Morning hike up to Poon Hill (3200.) to see wonderful Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and West parts of Himalayan ranges with wonderful sunrise.

Hundreds of trekkers go to see these views and sunrise from this top and it will feel how crowd and how many people enjoying the views. After this views trip of Poon Hill will back to Hotel for breakfast and pack your luggage to back further our schedule. We trek down to Hille and take Jeep to Pokhara on the same day. It will be last day of the trek and have wonderful final dinner at the lakeside restaurant with Fewa Lake views. Normally, we expect with our clients to celebrate dinner together for porters and Guide as your final treat to the crews.

Day-17: Crews leave to their destination and say good bye.

It is countable days for our trek because we have to pay for the crews and we count 17 days trek for this trip.

Note: It will be your rest day in Pokhara also preparation day for the next destination trip from Pokhara. Bardiya National Park trip or Chitwan national park trip we have to get private Car and drive to Bardiya about 7 hours drive from Pokhara and to the Chitwan it takes about 5 hours drive from Pokhara. Any national parks to reach from Pokhara we will have options only Bus or private car drive and I suggest you drive by private car for your safety.

Cost Includes

Regular Bus transports will be included from and to destinations

2 nights deluxe Hotels Rooms

3 times full board meals

Elephant rights/Jeep Drives

Jungle walk and Tours

Birds watching and canoeing

Culture exchanging programs with dance and music

Local Tharu village walks with Museum visit

Entrances fee and permits

Cost Excludes

Our trip to Nepal such a memorable one

I am part of a group of 4 girls who coordinated with Jagat for our 'mini' version of the Annapurna Circuit in early September 2017. We wanted to do the circuit badly but did not have enough time. Jagat and his team came up with a customized itinerary for us to start the trek from Jagat and end at Jomsom which we then flew to Pokhara to take a bus back to Kathmandu. The whole itinerary was very flexible and day to day arrangements can be altered by just communicating with our guide, Gopi. He will come up with the best plan to accommodate our wants and needs.

From the moment we landed at the airport in Kathmandu to the moment we flew out of Nepal, everything was extremely well taken care of by Jagat and his team. Our guide, Gopi and porters, Raju and Tej (whom we call Dada) were like family to us during the entire trek. They were always checking on us to see if we have enough to eat, enough drinking water or can we cope with the trek. They even offered to carry our day packs when they saw us struggling. In fact, I think at most times, if not all, our interests were placed above theirs. They will go all the way out just to help you if there is anything you need at all on the trek.

I don't think we'll be able to find another more patient, caring, trustworthy and detailed team of guides and porters. It was our pleasure to be able to trek with them. They had made our trip to Nepal such a memorable one that all of us didn't want the trip to end. Thank you for the great hospitality. I really look forward to visiting and trekking in Nepal again.

I would readily recommend Jagat and his team to anyone planning to trek in Nepal.

Love from Malaysia,

WanLing

WanLing ,

Malaysia

This was my third trip to Nepal and most enjoyable.

I recently had the great pleasure of climbing Island Peak in the Khumbu, Nepal. Jagat Lama was a passionate and dependable resource for trekking and mountaineering in Nepal. He was on the spot as far as preparation for the trip. This was my third trip to Nepal and most enjoyable. Hiring a light and independent team allowed for a cost-effective, flexible and efficient way to climb in Nepal. His assistance was with me from the airport arrival through to departure. He took care of my every need and allowed me to focus on my goal of the summit of Island Peak. My climbing guide, his brother Lal, was competent, caring and successful. I left Nepal with new friendships.I readily endorse his services and would encourage anybody to go with the Independent Trekking Guides. They are honest, caring and willing to make your holiday the most memorable you have ever had.Please, don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about my experiences in Nepal.

Mark Lui,

It was my dream trip come true. 2010

I am 66 years old and have done a lot of hiking in the USA as well as climbing Mt. Fuji, Orizaba and Iztaacchuatl volcanoes in Mexico. We have hiked to the bottom and back of the Grand Canyon at least 25 times on most of the various trails to the bottom. For me, the crowning trek was to hike in the Himalayan range. We contacted Jagat Lama in Kathmandu, Nepal and signed up for our adventure to hike for two weeks with porters and guides. Our group of friends included three men and three women aged from 60 to 75. I'm sure this would be a daunting task for Jagat and his guides.

We all hiked from Lukla to Namche which was Bill's goal (he's the 75-year-old). One of the guides stayed with Bill, and we continued with the two outstanding guides, Chet and Chandra. These two guides did everything for us; got all of our bags from the porters and put in our rooms, took our menu selections to the cooks, and discussed the plans for the following day. The guides made allowances for some who were having some altitude adjustment issues and gave positive feedback to everyone. They were very patient with all of us and really tried hard to ensure we stayed healthy and happy. I can honestly say that these were two of the best guides weÃ­ve ever had. On our hikes, the guides had to work around some of us who liked to take pictures but needed to do some additional acclimation at higher altitude. As a result three of us were able to hike all the way to Mt. Everest base camp. It was like a moonscape. We met the Korean team that was going to climb Everest as soon as the weather looked better. The base camp is awesome with tents all over the place with prayer flags, and ice towers and rocks everywhere.

At 5:00 am we were going to climb Kalapathar (5545m.) When we went out it was snowing and foggy. The weather in the valley is usually clear in the morning, foggy in the afternoon, and big clouds in the later afternoon. Chandra said we should start for Kalapathar as he felt it would clear up - and sure enough, the snow stopped and the sun came out. We made it to the summit in snow and ice.

From this mountain, we took fantastic views of Mt. Everest and Lhotse. We saw an avalanche and heard the cracking sounds coming from the Khumbu glacier. The valley we hiked was very interesting. It surpassed my expectations. I had no idea how many memorials there would be erected for the Everest climbers. It's a sight to see. There were many stupas and monasteries. There are many rock faces that have aBuddha painted or adorned with prayer flags and the rows of prayer wheels to spin. The landscape goes from lush vegetation to flower trees, to pine trees and then the tree line to tundra and almost a moonscape. The children were fun to play with and photograph.As we headed down the valley to Lukla, my wife became sick and we saw that she couldn't hike all the way down. Our great guides arranged for a horse for her to ride so we wouldn't miss our plane. At Lukla, I took my wife to a new, wonderful hospital where she was treated and given medicine. When we reached Kathmandu, there was a strike by the Maoist Communist Party that closed all of the businesses. Jagat again came to our rescue by getting a van and getting us to the airport. He, Chet and Chandra babysat us to make sure we got through the security hassle and on to the right plane. I can't imagine anyone doing anything more or better that Jagat, Chet, and Chandra could have done to make this a wonderful experience that exceeded our expectations. I recommend his services to you if you're planning to go anywhere in Nepal or Tibet. It was my dream trip come true.

Bob Hacken / Catherine L. Bordner,

HOOD RIVER, OREGON 97031 USA

Dreams of trekking in the Himalaya.May 2010

In April/May 2010 I was part of a group of nine individuals who used Jagat Lama to coordinate our trek to Kala Pattar and Everest Base Camp. From taking care of obtaining our TIMS cards on the first day all the way through to seeing us off to the airport in Kathmandu when our trip was finished, Jagat took care of everything. Trust me when I say that there are a lot of details that need tending to in between the two above events. Jagat and his crew exceeded all expectations and made our trip stress free. This fact allows one to concentrate of the arduous task of getting to Base Camp while trusting Jagat and his crew to care of the daily details such as obtaining food and shelter. I highly recommend that you do as I did and have Jagat and his crew work with you to meet your Nepali dreams of trekking in the Himalaya.